Trends in Face Surgery

Current Trends in Face Surgery

According to Sydney cosmetic plastic surgeon Dr Darryl Hodgkinson, the history of facial cosmetic surgery is fascinating. “If you look at the history of cosmetic surgery of the face, it was almost always a multiple staged procedure,” he says. “Patients in the ’60s would have perhaps their eyelids done and then they would be told they should wait until their 60s for a facelift. All the skin rejuvenation procedures we use now weren’t available then. The only rejuvenating treatment we had in the ’50s and ’60s was a skin dermabrasion, which was usually selected for patients who had acne scarring. Back in the ’70s, complications were so feared patients would have surgery on one side of the face and then, a week later, surgery on the other side of the face.”

“The trend for patients to have procedures done earlier is connected to the pressures of the commercial world”
Over recent years, Dr Hodgkinson says, there have been two major trends in cosmetic surgery. The first is towards earlier all-over facial rejuvenation with multiple treatments, and the second is for surgery to be performed in a surgeon’s own day-surgery facility.

“The trend for patients to have procedures done earlier is connected to the pressures of the commercial world,” he says. “There is a lot of discussion at the moment about how the older age groups have to keep working. There is also a lot of pressure on women in the 40s age group.

Personal image is very important and professional women can feel pressure from the savvy, highly skilled younger women on the way up. Some may start to lose their confidence – and work is all about confidence. So having cosmetic surgery earlier may be seen as a means of securing their social and professional status, helping to make them less vulnerable in the work place.

“In addition, the TV program Extreme Makeover has exposed the fact that more and more patients are having multiple procedures,” says Dr Hodgkinson. “What has further enhanced this new environment for face surgery are the numerous injectables available.”

Collagen was introduced in 1977 on a trial basis and then established on the market in the early ’80s. This was followed by hypoallergenic injectable fillers. More recently, anti-wrinkle injections have revolutionised the management of more niggly problems like crow’s feet and frown lines.

Before/After facelift by Dr Hodgkinson

Actual patient after an “extreme makeover” by Dr Hodgkinson

No-one should be embarrassed about seeking out cosmetic surgery, however Dr Hodgkinson says men tend to trivialise their desires. But more importantly they also sometimes trivialise their medical history and this can be serious. “I find men have a very clear idea of what they want but it takes more time finding out their medical history,” explained Dr Hodgkinson. “Men tend to trivialise their concerns about everything. A man will tell you there’s nothing wrong and they won’t tell you their medications or the fact they get chest pains and that sort of thing.” To combat this, Dr Hodgkinson is particularly thorough with his medical history and physical examination.However, according to Dr Hodgkinson, due to a lingering embarrassment for seeking cosmetic surgery men also tend to be very well informed. With the many sources of accessible information on cosmetic surgery finding out about procedures can be done in complete privacy. “There are magazines devoted to men’s health and men are also using the internet as a valuable research tool.,” said Dr Hodgkinson. “I find they already know a lot before they even come to the first consultation.”“Men will often want to appear younger, with more definition of the jaw, or more handsome and masculine perhaps with cheek and chin implants,” explained Dr Hodgkinson.Changing or rejuvenating the face is definitely an option with cosmetic surgery; something men are rapidly taking advantage of in increasing numbers.

Request A Consultation

When would you like to schedule an appointment?Thursday AMThursday PMFriday AMOtherIf you ticked “Other” please write in the space below when during the business week would be a convenient time for you. Whilst there are no guarantees, we’ll do our best to accommodate you.